Not-so-Ruined Vacation
by rarmaster
Summary: After Super Mario Sunshine, Mario shows Peach some of the best spots of Isle Delfino. (Ambiguously romantic, so if you can read it as them on a date, or just as two friends hanging out if you want. Up to you!) (Written for my friend Kels.)


**AN/** This was something my friend Kels asked me to write, and since she mentioned it was largely because "there aren't a lot of good Mario/Peach fics out there" I figured I'd post it here, the first place people are probably gonna look for Mario/Peach fics. SO! Enjoy!

* * *

Peach stood in the main square of Delfino, under one of the palm trees not far from the Pianta statue. She was supposed to meet Mario here, and, even if she did not have a watch with her to tell the time, she was pretty sure he was a little late. Oh well. The breeze was nice, the water was pretty, and it wasn't too hot… She could wait a little longer.

"Hey-a Peach! How do I look?"

Peach smiled at the sound of Mario's voice. Looks like she wouldn't have to wait at all! She turned around to him, and then giggled a little at the sight of him. He was wearing an aloha shirt over his regular clothes, a pair of sunglasses, and a wide smile.

"You look pretty good," Peach told him.

"Really?" he said. "Because I think I look Too Cool!"

Now Peach burst out laughing. "You big nerd!"

Mario just grinned back. He let Peach have a second to control her laughter, and then from behind his back produced a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses for her. Peach broke into a grin at the sight of the gift. She took them from Mario and put them on.

"How do I look?" she asked, as she adjusted them.

"TOO COOL!" Mario declared proudly.

Peach laughed again, then pulled her hands away from the glasses, satisfied. She looked over Mario again. "Where'd you get that shirt? I want one."

Mario smiled like he'd been hoping she'd say that.

"Over here!" he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her off.

 **xxx**

"MARIO! BE CAREFUL!" one of the Toads called, as Mario tapped a finger against his chin, trying to decide which Blooper to choose.

"Yeah!" another Toad said. "It's a lot harder than it looks!" This Toad, the Yellow Toad, had tried and failed at Blooper surfing, according to the Blue Toad. Yellow was still soaking wet, and even now kept rubbing at their head.

Mario gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'll be fine!" he promised. "I'm-a really good at this!" He turned and gave Peach a thumbs-up and an excited nod.

Peach waved back at him from where she and the Toads were, a safe distance away, back on the docks of Rico Harbor. " _Whoo_! Go Mario!" Peach called to him, waving back. The Blue Toad looked at her skeptically. The Yellow Toad grumbled like her shouting made their head hurt even worse.

Mario grinned, adjusted his sunglasses, and cautiously stepped onto the pink Blooper. He took off a lot faster than Peach expected him to, then headed straight for one of the boats. He jumped over it easily. Then he turned back around to jump over it again, giving Peach another thumbs-up as he sped past her. She cheered. The Toads clapped with her.

Mario angled towards the submarine. He jumped. It looked like he was going to make it.

But then Peach blinked.

She must've blinked, because she missed what happened.

The next thing she saw was Mario falling backwards into the water. The Blooper shot over the submarine, screeching. The Toads next to her gasped. Mario didn't surface right away.

"Mario!?" Peach shouted. " _Mario!"_

She was heading for the water before she really thought about it, pausing only long enough to kick off her shoes and be grateful she'd decided to wear shorts today, and not a dress. Before she could go in after him, though, Mario's head shot up from the water.

"I'M FINE!" he called frantically. He bobbed under the water for a second, but then he was back on the surface, spitting water out of his mouth. "I'M FINE!" he called again. Peach breathed a sigh of relief.

"Don't lose your hat!" she called at him. It was floating in the water, a little ways to his left. He fumbled to grab it, and then reached for something else—probably his sunglasses—before swimming to join Peach on the dock.

"I told you to be careful, Mario!" the Blue Toad shouted.

Mario didn't say anything, too busy pulling himself out of the water. Peach helped him, and then held onto his sunglasses while he wrung the water out of his hat.

"What was that? I thought you knew what you were doing!" Peach said, largely teasing. Her heart was still racing, but, seeing as Mario was fine, there was no reason to be upset. He'd probably survived worse, anyway. Actually, she was sure he'd survived worse.

Mario shoved his hat back on his head. "It would've-a been fine if I hadn't been wearing these glasses," Mario said, as he took his sunglasses back from Peach. He turned them over in his hands, then shrugged and put them back on his face. "Oh well. Maybe I'll-a try again…?" He turned to look Pianta in charge of the Blooper surfing, then grimaced.

Peach turned to see why, and saw that the Pianta was glaring furiously at Mario.

Mario chuckled nervously.

"Ah… maybe later…" he mumbled.

Peach laughed and shook her head.

 **xxx**

"Hey, Mario, get your camera!"

Mario sat up from his attempted nap, sending a look over at Peach as he straightened his hat. "What for?" he asked, pulling his camera out of his pocket.

Peach signaled for him to be quiet, tiptoeing towards the Green Toad asleep on the beach of Gelato. Mario knew what was happening before she pulled the crab out from behind her back, and he put the camera down.

" _Peach!"_ he hissed.

She just smiled at him, a dangerous glint in her eyes—she'd gotten that look before jokingly pushing him off the boat earlier—and then she carefully dropped the crab on the Toad's stomach and took a step back.

The Toad yelped and jumped about ten feet in the air. Peach laughed. Mario couldn't help but smile a bit, though he definitely didn't take a picture. When the Toad recovered and the crab was nowhere near them, they opened their mouth to yell… only to realize it had been Peach who'd pranked them.

Peach gave a semi-apologetic smile, though her laughter quickly stopped as Toadsworth came into view.

He cleared his throat loudly. " _Princess…"_ he said, disapprovingly, as he tapped his foot.

Peach grimaced. She sent Mario a look that said ' _here we go again…'_

Knowing that Peach did not want to stand here and be lectured, and very much not wanting to sit through one of Toadsworth's lectures himself, Mario grabbed Peach by the hand and dragged her towards the smoothie hut. She laughed a little, but didn't protest. Neither of them looked back, even as Toadsworth shouted after them.

Thankfully, Toadsworth didn't follow, and they were seated at one of the small tables in the smoothie hut without a problem.

"C'mon, that was a _little_ funny," Peach said, as she finished taking a drink of her smoothie. They'd both gotten watermelon smoothies, largely because Mario'd won himself free watermelon smoothies for life. (He would've paid to get Peach another flavor had she wanted it, but seeing as she already wanted watermelon, it was easier to just get himself watermelon as well.)

"A _little…_ " Mario agreed. He couldn't help smiling, even now.

Peach grinned. "I mean, it didn't hurt 'em!"

"Might've hurt the crab."

"Oh…" Peach's face fell, and she leaned a little across the table, earnestly. "Do you think it's okay?"

Mario chuckled. "I was teasing!"

"Oh!" Peach grinned again. She seemed satisfied with herself.

"How do you like your smoothie…?" Mario asked.

Peach took another drink of it, as if to be sure with her answer, and then she nodded. "It's good!" she said. "Oh, hey! What do you think about… getting a crab somewhere near Toadsworth? Or do you think he'll get too upset for it to be worth it?"

" _Peach…_ "

 **xxx**

Peach let Mario drag her through Pianta Village, a little excited, and a little confused, especially as to why what he wanted her to see required waiting until it was the middle of the night. He insisted she'd love it though, and she took his word. She always took his word.

"Here, up here," Mario said, helping her up onto one of the giant mushrooms.

"Are you sure?" Peach asked, dubiously. She knew well enough by now how sturdy mushrooms were in this kingdom, but, this one in particular looked a little flimsy.

Mario nodded though. "Positive! It'll hold our weight fine." He waited until she was settled, and then pointed up at the sky. "Now, look!"

Peach did, and the sight took the air out of her lungs. The stars were so big, and so bright! And the _moon…!_

"Ohh! It feels like we're so close!" she breathed.

Mario nodded, and settled down on his back. Peach followed his lead, and was instantly glad for it. Lying on her back, face up to the stars, made it so much easier to take in the wide expanse of the sky.

"Oh, it's _beautiful_ , Mario…" she whispered.

"Isn't it?"

"I feel like I could just… reach up and touch the moon," she said, and as she said it, she reached up just to try. She couldn't, of course, but the act still filled her chest with something indescribable. The moon was so big that even by holding her hand up in front of it, she could not completely block it from her sight.

"Yeah?" Mario asked. Peach heard him shift, and knew he'd turned to look at her, but she kept her attention fixed on the sky.

"Yeah! I feel like… Like I could cup the stars in my hands, and run them through my fingers… I feel like I could—I don't know…" She let out a deep sigh, and let her hand fall to her side. She didn't have the words to really describe what she was feeling. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome."

They stayed there in silence, for a long time. Peach wasn't sure what Mario thought about, but she thought about the wonders and vastness of the universe for a while, and then she thought about the beauties of Delfino. They'd have to go back home, soon, unfortunately. Bowser had taken a good chunk of their vacation time. Oh well… It couldn't be helped.

"Guess this wasn't so bad of a vacation, after all," she said, quietly.

"It wouldn't be a vacation without-a Bowser, though, would it?" Mario asked.

That made Peach laugh.

"No, I guess not. Still… I'm glad I got to spend this time with you."

"Me too."


End file.
